Loose-leaf binder.



No. 872,968. PATENTED DEC.' 3, 1907.

M. W. PATRIG.

ALoos LEAP BINDER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1907.

TH: mmms PETERS coA, vAsmNcmN. n. c.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILAN W. PATRIC, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN C. MOORE CORPO- RATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed July 8 1907. Serial No. 382.583.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILAN W. PATRIC, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Loose-Leaf Binder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for binding loose leaves having suitable perforations near one edge thereof in such a way that such leaves may be removed from or inserted in the binder whenever desired. In loose leaf binders of this class it is customary to provide a plate having impaling posts rigidly secured therein adapted to engage the openings or holes in the leaves and a following plate having openings therethrough to receive such posts and provided with mechanism adapted to clamp and engage the impaling posts at any desired oint longitudinally thereof to hold the fo lowing plate in any desired position of adjustment on the impaling posts. For such clamping mechanisms various devices have been resorted to of two general classes. First, those in which a clutching mechanism was provided to engage the binding posts and hold them positively against withdrawal, but not preventing a motion of such following plate in one direction, that is, towards the fixed plate carrying the impaling posts. In this style of clutching mechanism there have been Arovided pawls carried by the following plpate and adapted to engage ratchets formed on the impaling posts or on apmember extending in a direction parallel therewith or a clutching mechanism has been provided to engage the impaling post or posts adapted to permit the following late to move towards but to oppose by a we( ging action the withdrawal thereof from such plate carrying the posts. The action of this class of mechanism is objectionable on account of the marring or mutilating of the surface of the impaling posts. Ratchets and awls have also been found objectionable. ln another class of mechanisms for this purpose there has been provided a positive clamping means adapted to clamp the impaling post between two opposing members,

such members having surfaces of such a character as to more or less completely obviate the objection to the clutch mechanism above referred to. In mechanisms of this latter class, however, the clamping mechanism has not usually been balanced and the strain of the clampingmechanism has usually been directly upon the parts of the following plate, necessitating a heavy construction thereof to stand up against the strain exerted in the clamping action. To overcome this objection I provide a mechanism in which the strain of the clamping action is exerted upon parts independent of the walls of the following plate.

The accompanying drawings illustrating one form of a loose leaf binder constructed n accordance with my invention are as folowsz- Fi ures 1 and 2 are top or plan views of the ollowing plate with the cover thereof removed to show the internal mechanism, the parts being shown in such figures respectively in their unlocked and locked positions. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the parts as seen in Fig. 1, taken along the dotted line :c-y with all parts to the right thereof removed. Fig. 4 is a erspective view of the entire device assemb ed.

Referring to the drawings,-P is the fixed plate having the impaling posts p rigidly secured therein. The following block comprises the channeled base member E and the similarly channeled cap member D, which latter is shown as removed in Figs. l and 2. In the channel member E is secured the clamping mechanism constructed as follows :-Two steel plates, as C, are folded around the clamping levers A. These plates C and the clamping levers A have holes therethrough to receive the rivets a1, which also extend through suitably alined holes in the bottom of the channel plate E, and by means of which the plates C with the clamping levers A are secured in position in the channel plate E. Through the channel plate E and through the folded plates C and the clamping levers A there are bored holes suitably alined to receive the impaling posts p, the holes in the clamping levers being preferably slightly larger than necessary to freely admit the impaling posts p. These last named holes in the clamping levers A are so alined that when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, the impaling posts will pass freely therethrough. These clamping levers A are turned up at their ends extending inwardly from and between the impaling posts p, to adapt them to be engaged by the curved cam-like conformations r on the operating rod R. The rod R is rotatably supported at its right hand end in a hole through an inturned portion e2 of the lower side wall, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, of the channel plate E. The left hand end of this rod R is rotatably supported in the formed-up cylindrical portion of the plate B secured by means of a rivet l) to the bottom of the channel plate E near the left hand end thereof. The left hand end of the rod R is turned up as seen at r1, to extend through a suitable slot in the plate B in such a way as to prevent the withdrawal of the rod R longitudinally of the channel plate E, whereby the curved portions r of such rod R are held in proper position opposite the upturned ends of the clamping levers A.

In the lower side, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, of the channel plate E indentations are formed by cutting through the wall thereof to form engaging members, as seen at @,to hold the rod R properly down in place and oppose the tendency thereof to rise during the clamping action. On they upper side wall, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, ofthe channel plate E, are formedtwo similar indentations c1 adapted to receive the down turned end of the wire springs s s formed up, as indicated, with two divergent end members connected by one or two circular turns in the wirein the form of a coiled up U spring. The free ends of these springs s engage the upturned ends of the clamping levers A and operate to hold them in their unlocked positions, as seen in Fig. 1. `The right hand end of the rod R is suitably squared off or otherwise formed to engage within the socket of thekey l by means of which the rod R may be actuated. In use, the cover D is secured over the channel plate E, in any suitable manner not shown, and has holes therethrough to receive the posts p.

The operation and method of using my binder is believed to be sufficiently clear from the above description to call for no further statement herein.

I desire to call attention tothe fact that, as indicated in Fig. 1, the portions r of the operating means R comprise stops coperating with the springs s to hold the levers A in their inoperative positions when such operating means, comprising the rod R, is also in its inoperative position.

I/Vhat I claim is 1. In a loose leaf binder, in combination with a plate having an impaling post or impaling posts secured therein, a following plate having a hole or holes therethrough adapted to receive and movable longitudinally on such impaling post or posts; a clamping mechanism carried by such following plate comprising a lever or levers each pivotally secured to and between two rigidly connected plates, one oneach side thereof 5 each such pair of side plates and clamping lever secured to such following plate and having holes therethrough alined with the corresponding hole in such following plate adapted to receive the corresponding impaling post and means for operating each such lever upon its pivotal connection tending to force the hole therethrough out of alinement with the hole in such side plates and thereby clamp the impaling post between such lever `and side plates.

2. In a loose leaf binder, in combination with a plate having' an impaling post or impaling posts secured therein 5 a following plate having a hole or holes therethrough adapted to receive and movable longitudinally on such impaling post or posts; a clamping mechanism carried by such following plate comprising a lever or levers each pivotally secured to and between two rigidly connected plates, one on each side thereof; each such pair of side plates and clamping lever secured to such following plate and having holes therethrough alined with the corresponding hole insuch following plate adapted to receive the corresponding impaling post; means'for operating each such lever upon its pivotal connection tending to force the hole therethrough out of alinement with the hole in such side plates and thereby clamp the impaling post between such lever and side plates and a spring or springs for returning each such clamping lever to its inoperative position.

3. In a loose leaf binder, in combination with a plate having an impaling post or impaling posts secured therein a following plate having a hole or holes therethrough adapted to receive and movable longitudinally on such impaling post or posts; a clamping mechanism carried by such following plate comprising a lever or levers each pivotally secured to and between two rigidly connected plates, one on each side thereof; each such pair'of side plates and clamping lever secured to such following plate and having holes therethrough alined with the corresponding hole in such'following plate adapted to receive the corresponding impaling post; means for operating each such lever upon its pivotal connection tending to force the hole therethrough out of alinement with the hole in such side plates and thereby clamp the impaling post between such lever and side plates and a spring or springs and co-operating therewith a stop or stops for normally holding each such clamping lever in its inoperative position.

4. In a-` loose leaf binder, in combination with a plate having an impaling post or impaling posts secured therein, a following plate having a hole or holes therethrough adapted to receive and movable longitudiconnected plates, one on each side thereof; each such pair of side plates and clamping lever secured to such following plate and having holes therethrough alined with the corresponding hole in such following plate adapted to receive the corresponding impaling post; means for operating each such lever upon its pivotal connection tending to force the hole therethrough out of alinement with the hole in such side plates and thereby clamp the impaling post between such lever and side plates and a spring or springs and cooperating therewith a stop or stops for normally holding each such clamping lever in its inoperative position, such stop or stops' comprising such operating means in its inoperative position.

5. In a loose leaf binder; a plate having an impaling post or impaling posts secured therein; a following plate having a hole or holes therethrough adapted to receive such impaling post or posts; a clamping lever or clamping levers carried by such following plate and means for operating such lever or levers comprising a rodrotatably supported by such following plate and having a curved portion or curved portions therein adapted to engage such clamping lever or levers.

6. In a loose leaf binder; a plate having a post or posts secured thereln; a follower plate having a clamping lever or clamping levers operably supported therein and adapted to engage the impaling post or posts and, for holding each such clamping lever in its inoperative position, a spring supported in an inturned eye formed by a depression in the side wall of such following plate.

7. In a loose leaf binder and as a means for preventing longitudinal movement of and revolubly supporting an operating rod on the following plate thereof; a bearing for such rod comprising a plate having a curved formation adapted to partially encircle one end of such rod, such curved portion having a slot therethrough, such rod having a bent-up portion adapted to extend through such slot to prevent longitudinal movement of such rod and such slot adapted to permit an oscillating movement of such rod with such bentup portion extending therethrough.

8. In a loose leaf binder, in combination with a plate having an impaling post or impaling posts secured therein; a following plate having a hole or holes therethrough adapted to receive and movable longitudinally on such impaling post or posts; a clamping mechanism carried by such following plate comprising a lever or levers each pivotally secured to and between two integrally formed side plates, one on each side thereof; each such pair of side plates and clamping lever secured to such following plate and having holes therethrough alined with the corresponding hole in such following plate adapted to receive the corresponding impaling post and means for operating each such lever upon its pivotal connection tending to force the hole therethrough out of alinement with the hole in such side plates and thereby clamp the impaling post between such lever and side plates.

MILAN W. PATRIC.

Witnesses:

LoT'rIE Woon, OsBoRNE F. GURNEY. 

